BARBADOS-HEALTH-Barbadians urged to be extra vigilant.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Kenneth George, saying he did not want “dampen your Christmas in any way,” is urging Barbadians to be very vigilant given that the island is still dealing with the coronavirus (COVID-19) and a strain of flu – identified as H3N2.

In a recorded statement, Dr. George said the positivity rate and the R-effective indicated COVID-19 was still very much in the community, even as those persons coming forward to be tested have declined.

He said, as a result, the number of people with the viral illness “may not be a true reflection of what it really is” and that hospitalization remained low with patients exhibiting minor forms of the illness.

“I am not here to dampen your Christmas in any way, but we are here to let you know there are still some things that you can do to prevent sickness and illness.

“We are indeed facing a double whammy because we have COVID circulating and we have flu circulating. The flu virus has been typed. It is H3N2 that has been circulating, and that has also increased steeply within the last two months. We continue to monitor both for flu and for COVID,” Dr. George said.

Deputy chief environmental officer and former head of the COVID Monitoring Unit, Ronald Chapman, is also urging the public to continue following the public health measures such as mask-wearing, handwashing or the use of sanitizers, and physical distancing.

“However, we recognize there has been a relaxation in the directives, and because of that relaxation, we expect persons to take responsibility for themselves. So we are asking persons – as we continue to work through the issues of COVID – if you are feeling unwell, if you are feeling ill, it is wise to put on a mask.

“You may not have COVID, you may be suffering with the flu, or it may be just a common cold, but all respiratory diseases can be fought with the use of the mask,” Chapman added.

“The Ministry of Health has no intention at this present time to return to the heavy-handed approach that we had during COVID. You can see that with the relaxation of the protocols and the dissolution of the COVID-19 Monitoring Unit. We are at a place where we believe persons can act responsibly; that persons can take stock of their own risk, they can look and see how they can protect themselves as opposed to person police every moment that they make.”